Friendly Advice
by Zadien
Summary: Set around episode 23. Flora is having a rough time. Krystal is monopolising Helia and Flora can't work up the courage to interfere. Luckily Riven's on hand to offer her a bit of Friendly Advice. She stepped close and kissed the irate Specialist on the cheek. "You're a good friend, Riven." Oneshot. Slight MusaxRiven.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Winx or any of the characters here.

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Author Note: I never understood why the characters in Winx don't interact outside of the set couples. Also all through season five I wondered about what kind of scenes could be going on in the background. This scene is set around episode 23. Krystal has a huge crush on Helia and she's not being subtle about it. Helia's being too much a gentleman to shake the girl off and Flora is unsure of her place in Helia's life to actually do anything. So naturally Riven being Helia's roommate is getting a rough deal, especially since his girlfriend is avoiding his calls and being a bit brusque with him. It's up to super hero Riven to save the day with:

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Friendly Advice

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_I want to Ivy Wrap Krystal and ship her home._

_I feel horrible inside, twisted and furious._

_Sometimes I want to slap her, even though she's younger than me, and a student._

_Her voice sometimes hurts my ears._

_I am a terrible person._

_Krystal needs to stop hogging Helia; he's my boyfriend._

_He called me his friend._

Taking a deep breath, Flora looked at the terrible truths she'd scribbled on her scented notepaper; then she carefully folded the note and put it in her pocket. A quick glance around the room assured her that no one suspected the poisonous thoughts in her head, so she calmly gathered her books and walked out of the library. A few students greeted her as she passed; she waved, called out friendly hellos and smiled amiably, and the note burnt a metaphorical hole in her pocket. She felt the corner digging into her thigh as a penance to be paid, and the shape of it scraped her skin through the soft fabric.

Her heels clicked against the marble floors of the Alfea corridors, her hair swept against her back and a knot of tension began to throb between her shoulder blades. She needed to get outside.

Flora almost jogged into the main courtyard, and breathed deep. Sweet scents, carried on warm drafts of air, soothed her senses and made her skin feel a little bit looser. Bird song could be heard mingling with vibrant conversation as students gathered with friends, and insects milled around the decorative plant bowls. It was a lovely scene, tranquil, without a hint of any of Tritannus' malice.

Measured steps carried her to a quiet, private area of the school gardens, and she let the lush greenery relax her mind.

Finding a bench, Flora sat down. She took the note from her pocket and shred it into pieces. The darkness was out of her and destroyed, and while it might build up again, she would deal with it. She knew she was over reacting, knew she shouldn't be letting this situation get to her, but it did bother her. It didn't matter that Krystal was young and infatuated with Helia; she was a vivacious, pretty, sixteen-year-old Princess and she threatened Flora's relationship with Helia. Flora hadn't talked to her boyfriend in what felt like months, but was maybe a couple of weeks. Every time Helia looked like he was about to approach her, Krystal leapt on him, demanding his attention. Flora wanted to be mature; good manners dictated that she be kind and not interfere with Helia and Krystal's relationship, whatever it may be. She should bow out, because Helia obviously only saw her as a friend, but she couldn't find it in her to do that. She couldn't be happy for them, when inside, she was miserable.

Sometimes she wished to be a plant. Plants had nice, quiet lives. They soaked up sunshine and rain, they formed strong roots and blossomed, then they waited for the wind or an insect to come along and pollinate them. Flora could just imagine being a flower, and a little buzzing insect coming along, lifting her pollen and carrying it off to another plant.

She shook off the images in her head and closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her face.

Music drifted to her and she frowned. A guitar?

Musa?

Flora stood and crept to the hedgerow, carefully parting it to peer through. For a moment her mind struggled to comprehend what she was seeing. Then it clicked and a gasp escaped her.

"Riven?"

The Specialist dropped his instrument and leapt to his feet, hand moving to his crystal only for him to deflate when he caught sight of her.

"Flora, what are you…" he trailed off uncomfortably, as he dusted himself off and picked up the castaway guitar, inspecting it.

"I was taking a moment to enjoy the garden; what are you doing?"

He jerked a shoulder and held up the guitar, quirking a brow. "Playing guitar."

"I didn't know you could."

"Yeah, well, you don't really know me."

Perhaps. She didn't spend a lot of time with Riven, but Musa did. "Musa knows you, she would have said."

"Don't tell her," he blurted out, eyes fierce. "You – it's – It's supposed to be a surprise."

Realization dawned. "Oh! That's why you've been acting strange; that's why you ran out on Musa. You've been getting lessons."

Riven dropped down onto his rock with a heavy sigh. "Just keep it a secret, okay?"

Flora nodded and primly sat herself down on the grass, breathing out a sigh of relief. There was something so natural about being on the ground, feeling the grass between her fingers, against her legs. "Are you going to show her?"

"It's going to be a surprise. She's just had a rough time recently, and I want to show her that I support her pursuing music, and I'm not really good with the emotional stuff."

With a soft smile, Flora tilted her head and studying the gruff Specialist. His feelings for her friend were clear to see, and joy bubbled inside her, eclipsing the darkness for a beautiful moment. "You love her."

His chin jerked up, even as he averted his gaze, refusing to answer. "So, what's wrong with you?"

She sucked in a sharp breath and shook her head. "Nothing, why do you –"

He levelled her with a pointed look.

Pressing her lips together, Flora inhaled and wrung her hands. "Has Helia said something?"

Had he told Riven that he wanted to break up with her? No, of course he hadn't because that insinuated they were a couple and Helia only saw her as a friend, despite their dates and hook-ups in Gardenia. Her mood darkened, and she curled her fingers into fists before forcing herself to relax.

"He's been moody, quiet, but I catch him scribbling all the time in that little notebook of his, and he's constantly checking his phone. Last year, when things went wrong with Musa and I, Na-" His voice went tight but he continued, "Nabu forced me to listen to what he had to say. I didn't want to. I thought I knew everything, but sometimes it takes an outsider to look at a relationship and see it clearly. You're pissed off with Helia."

Her mouth opened, then shut. "I am not."

'Yeah, you are. You're angry because he's not telling Princess Pinky to leave him alone."

"He and Princess _Krystal_ are old friends; I am her subject, and I am his friend."

"His friend, not his girlfriend… right." Putting down his guitar, Riven stood up and began to pace, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I'm not good at this stuff, but Helia's crap at this stuff. He can speak pretty lines, dole out compliments, and act like a more charming version of Sky - except, you know, sincerely; but you make him nervous."

"How?" She wasn't like Aisha, she wasn't confrontational or sassy; she wasn't high maintenance, nor was she clingy - she was trying very hard not to be clingy.

"He's taking his cues from you."

Flora blinked, struck dumb by that strange comment, her fingers twisting in the grass.

"You're shy, and don't really seem one for PDA's, and he probably doesn't know if your family knows about him – if he told Krystal that he's your boyfriend, he probably worried she'd let it slip."

Really? But… Flora slowly nodded her head. "On Linphea, women and men don't form long term commitments. Women have their forum, men occupy another."

Riven rolled his eyes. "So maybe that's why Helia's being distant with you around Krystal, don't you think? And, because you're miffed with him, you're pushing him away and you two aren't communicating!" His voice lowered to a growl laced with annoyance. "Go and talk to him, and tell Krystal that you're his girlfriend, and you don't appreciate the way she's been flirting with him."

Flora shrank into herself at his orders, pressing her hands together. She couldn't do that to Helia, it wasn't her place. "I don't want to seem clingy, or restrict his friendships. I'm not like that."

Riven threw his hands up. "I don't understand girls. If some guy was monopolizing Musa's time, I'd hand him his ass. Trust me, Helia's not going to be upset if you stamp your claim on him."

His words went against everything she'd been taught, everything she'd observed. Clinginess wasn't approved off, was it? Helia certainly wouldn't… Would he? "Maybe I'll wait until I see him and talk to him."

Riven made a sound of frustration and pinched his nose. "Yeah, fine, just do something."

As he scuffed his feet, something inside Flora mellowed, and she rose to her feet. She stepped close and kissed the irate Specialist on the cheek. "You're a good friend, Riven."

"Yeah, yeah," he replied gruffly, folding his arms. "Anything to stop you guys bugging Musa about stuff. She doesn't need it."

As Riven stomped off, cursing under his breath, Flora tilted her head. Maybe being a little possessive wasn't a bad thing. It might be nice to have someone be protective of her, like Riven was to Musa. If Riven was right, and Helia took his cues from her actions, maybe she'd have to be a little bit possessive over him. She wouldn't march up to Krystal, but maybe taking her aside and explaining things might be a step in the right direction.

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Riven – having handed his borrowed guitar back to his instructor – pulled out his phone as he walked through Alfea's courtyard. The phone was instantly answered as the lights spread out to form Helia's face in the holo-screen.

"Riven?"

"You need to talk to Flora."

Concern pinched Helia's face. "Has something happened?"

Riven grimaced. He didn't particularly like getting involved in people's relationships, but Helia was his dorm-buddy, and it would make his life easier if Helia wasn't moping over Flower girl all the time. "Just talk to her, and tell Krystal that you two are dating." When he noticed Helia about to object, Riven muttered forcefully, "Seriously, just talk to Flora and tell her that you're not interested in Krystal. Do something sweet, write her a flippin' poem if you have to, or one of those paper animal things, but do something."

He punched the hang-up button, skirted a bunch of freshmen fairies, raised a hand in casual greeting to a studying Roxy; then he veered off the path when he noticed a harried looking music fairy crossing the courtyard from the teaching block. He stepped into her path, and caught her shoulders when she stumbled.

"Riven?" Her pretty face became mutinous. "I can't talk, I have to go on another mission and _mmph_!"

He kissed her hard; then pulled back. "I'll explain everything to you later, just come back to me."

He left her with a renewed sense of purpose. He was really getting into this hero gig. Sorted out the Flower fairy, stopped Helia from being mopey, and started the reconciliation with Musa. Not too bad for a short hour's work… and now he had to go deal with another one of Codatorta's stupid practices; maybe he would take Ruby Rascal out for flying later, get some thinking time done.

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Author Note: Yet another thing I wished happened in the fifth season. Please read and review, it always pleases me to get people's thoughts on what I've written. Do you think Riven makes a good agony uncle? I figure he could easily sort out Sky and Bloom's issues super fast.


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